Blakeman accuses NYC congressional hopeful Lander of antisemitism

ALBANY — Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman this week accused Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander of antisemitism and said Lander "would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could."

Blakeman, the Nassau County executive seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, made the comments Wednesday evening on Newsmax, a conservative cable television outlet. Lander and Blakeman are both Jewish. 

"Brad Lander, he’s a disgrace. He’s anti-American, he's antisemitic, even though he's Jewish. This guy would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could. He's a disaster, he's terrible," Blakeman told host Ed Henry.

Blakeman made the comments as part of a larger critique of democratic socialists and progressive Democrats who defeated more moderate Democrats in a handful of New York City primaries on Tuesday. On Thursday, Democratic politicians and liberal Jewish advocacy groups criticized Blakeman's comments, calling them unacceptable.

Blakeman has been highly critical of progressive Democrats like Lander and democratic socialists like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for their stances on Israel and Gaza.

Lander ousted Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District in a race where Israel was one of the main issues. Goldman, who is also Jewish, was backed by groups that support Israel, like the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee

Mamdani had supported Lander, along with democratic socialists Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in the primaries. Lander has called Israel’s military actions in Gaza a genocide, drawing ire from conservatives.

Lander said in a statement he believed in fighting for Palestinian human rights and against antisemitism.

"We named our son after Marek Edelman, a leader of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. That’s how seriously I take the legacy of Jews who fought Nazis. I don’t know where Bruce Blakeman went to Hebrew school, but I was taught that ‘Never Again!’ means never again to anyone," he said.

Blakeman backed off his critique of Lander only slightly on Thursday.

"Maybe camp guard was too strong, but certainly collaborator as Brad Lander turned his back on the Jewish community when he locked arms with the extremists who want to wipe Israel off the map, send pro-Israel Americans to concentration camps, and refuse to condemn the slaughter of women and babies on October 7," he said in a statement.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat who represents the 12th Congressional District, said Blakeman’s comments invoking the Holocaust against a fellow Jewish man were a desecration of the memory of those who died in concentration camps.

"These comments are disqualifying, and they show exactly why Bruce Blakeman must never be governor of New York," Nadler said.

The New York Jewish Agenda also condemned Blakeman’s words in a social media post.

"It's appalling to weaponize one of the most painful moments in Jewish history to criticize the policy positions of Jewish public officials. We must all stand up against this kind of rhetoric to ensure that it has no place in our political discourse," the group said.